Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

The Social Worker (Program Coordinator) is a professional licensed clinical social worker who functions as the Case Management Specialist in the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) Program at the GS-12 grade level and is responsible for providing case management services as part of a geographically-based multidisciplinary team.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Conducts and participates in outreach activities including field interviews and assessments for homeless veterans identified by the Homeless Outreach team in the community shelters and on the streets as well as those who are referred by VA residential programs medical centers or outpatient clinics.
• Evaluates the veterans situation abilities and history in a collaborative and recovery-oriented manner and arrives at a reasoned conclusion including an assessment of vulnerability case management needs and prioritization factors for admission.
• Reviews all subjective and objective data and makes a clinical assessment identifying needs and strengths.
• Provides a concise summary of the veterans history of homelessness case management needs and eligibility factors as well as any additional supports to enhance the veterans ability to safely living independently in the community to the HUD-VASH Determination Committee.
• Develops psychosocial treatment plans actively involving the veteran and their family or significant others in coordination with interdisciplinary team members based on the psychosocial assessments with goals focused on obtaining/sustaining permanent housing and addressing identified challenges to becoming and remaining permanently housed.
• Makes initial and continuing decisions coordinating the veterans care through linking and referral to VA medical facilities or Regional Offices and other VA and non-VA services.
• Provides direct mental health and substance abuse services for veterans and family members and/or counsels significant others in support of the veterans treatment.
• Explains veterans treatment and progress to third parties as appropriate and manages the quality control and evaluation of the professional services provided.
• Responsible for data collection administrative record keeping and monitoring patient clinical indicators for each of the veterans assigned to him/her on their caseload as well as being familiar with all the veterans in the incumbents team.
• The incumbent documents independently in the electronic medical record including psychosocial assessments individual service or treatment plans diagnostics treatment progress notes follow up and referral.
• Provides orientation for interdisciplinary team members and conducts staff development programs for CVAMC staff and in the community as needed.
• The incumbent serves as a mentor to other mental health staff particularly those at the entry level or who are new to HUD-VASH.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.
• Must possess a valid unrestricted State drivers license.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: Have a masters degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may NOT be substituted for the masters degree in social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

Licensure Requirement: You must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Experience Requirement: You must possess one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Examples of specialized experience at the GS-11 include but are not limited to: assessing and documenting identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse neglect exploitation and/or intimate partner violence; use of clinical social work skills; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality per policies handbooks or directives; acting as an advocate with appropriate community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the patient and family members/caregiver; independently assessing the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members identifying the patients strengths weaknesses coping skills and psychosocial acuity. You may have certification or other post-masters degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above you must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation negotiation and monitoring.
• Knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and/or practice guidelines for the program.
• Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.
• Skill in organizing work setting priorities meeting multiple deadlines and evaluating assigned program area(s).
• Ability to provide training orientation and guidance within clinical practice.

• Supervisory experience
• Working with unhoused and/or chronic homelessness
• Substance Use Disorders & Mental Heath